Artificial bait



May 12, 192 5.

C. T. PFLUEGER' ARTIFICIAL BAIT Filed May 26, 1920 Patented May l2, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT oF icE.

CHARLES T. PFLUEGER, AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ENTERPRISE MANUFAC- TUBING- COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

, ARTIFICIAL BAIT.

Application filed May 26, 1920. Serial No. 384,255.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. PFLUEGER, a -citizen of the-United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial .Bait, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to artificial bait and more especially to artificial minnows. l0

bodying a loosely mounted flipper or device adapted to swing or dart from'side to side and up and down as the minnow travels through the water, which of itself is an excellent lure for fish, and which flipper or device may also be provided with a bright surface or appearance to additionally attract or lure fish by the resultant flashing or darting effects.

-A further object of the invention is to provide such a flipper or device which can be readily-applied to any artificial bait and which is cheap to manufacture.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of one form of artificial bait embodying the inventiongand Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

The invention may be applied with advantage: to any form of artificial bait, but the best effects are obtained when it is applied to a minnow of the general form illustrated in a prior applicationfor artificial bait, Serial No. 315,870, filed Aug. 7, 1919 by C. T. Pflueger and V7. L. Adams, or in other words, to a minnow body constructed and arranged so that as said body travels along a path through the Water the body wobbles or vibrates laterally from side to side giving the effect of a minnow travelling along a sinuous line of relatively short waves 5 or arcs.

Briefly described this minnow includes a bodyportion 1 of any suitable form to produce the motion before described, such for example as described in said application, provided at one end with an eye 2 for at tachinent to the fishing line 3, and to the body of which minnow may be secured one or a plurality, two being shown, of hooks 4,

The object of the invention is to provide an improved minnow, or artificial bait em-' the hooks illustrated being of themultiple variety. 7

body a motion as though it is oscillated from side to side about a vertical axis through the front portion of the body, so that the effect is as though the entire body moved on a fairly regular sinuous path consisting of a series of waves of relatively short amplitude. While the rate of oscillation'varies somewhat accordingto the speed at which theminnow is wound in, nevertheless it is always fairly rapid, due-t0 the short waves of the sinuous effect. This peculiar but nevertheless fairly regular body motion appears to have a decided effect upon and contribute to the motion of the flipper because the latter on motion of travel of the minnow through the water seems to vibrate in step with the vibration of the minnow body. In other words, not only does the flipper by its mounting and shape'have a vibrating effect but to its. own motion is added that of the body. In thelateral or vibrating motion the flipper appears to lag behind the body. When the body is moving to the right the flipper is tardy but has similar motion, and when the body begins 7 to swing to the left the flipper, continues its motion to the-right before it begins to partake of the body motion to the left. The net efl'ect makes the flipper resemble the trailing vibrating tail of a natural minnow.

The flipper or lure forming the subject, matter of this invention may be of any suitable form or shape to produce thedesired effects. In the drawings, said flipper, indicated at 5, is a relatively long narrow thin strip, the edges of which converge toward its rear end to the point 6, so that in shape, generally speaking, it resembles a cigar and the forward end of which flipperis suitably formed for loose attachment to the minnow.

I p 55 vVithout detailed description of the essenthe essential characteristics of loose mounting, whereby the effect of the movement of the minnow through the water is to cause the.

flipper by its loose mounting to whip back and forth. It may be made of rubber, fiber, composition material, wood or even pork rin d,or similar materials. Usually 1 preler to give the flipper abright or attractive surface, fan effect which can be secured by making it of shell or other bright materials, one Iinatei'ial .snit ablefor the purpose being nickel plated inetall IVh en the minnow moves through the water as a result of a. pull on the fishing line, t-he'fiipper vibrates from side to side and up and down simulating the movement 01" a natural-innmow or other living creature. It made of bright material or with a. bright surface the darting and swinging movements also produce flashes; and fiiclzerings of light to lure the 'fish.

It will behi nrther noted that the rear hook 4 is suspended beneath the body in advance of its rear end so that its shank cannot rise above a horizontal position,

while the flipper-i5 is attached to the upper surface of the body materially above the rearhook. Vhile the flipper has some up and down motion its oscillating or vibrating motion horizontally from side to side preponderates. Asa consequence of the an rangement of hook and flipper the latter can vibrate freely above the hook without interference between the two.

What I clainri'saz 1. Anartificial bait, Comprising a body portion arranged for attachmentto the line,

and a, relatively thin fiat elongated trailing lure loosely connected atone end to said along apatri throughthe water body portion for both lateral and up and down motion while maintaining its flat plane approximately horizontal.

2. An artificial bait, comprising a. body arranged for attachment to the line, and a relatively thin elongated lure of approximately cigar shape loosely connected at one end to the upper surface of the rear portion of .said boc y for both lateral and up and down motion.

3. An artificial bait, comprising a body arranged for attachment to the line, a relatively thin elongated lnreof approximately cigar shape loosely connected atone end' to said body for both lateral and np and-down motion, the length of said lure being more than half the length of said body, and said lnre extending rearwardly beyond said body for more than half. of its own length.

l. A. fish bait, comprising a bait body constructed and arranged so that as ittravels the body wobbles or vibrates laterally along relatively short arcs from side to side of said path,- and a cigar shaped elongated flat lure loosely attached to and normally trailing from the rear portion of the body so that the vibrating motion of-the body canses similar motion of said flipper relative thereto.

5. A fish bait, comprising a bait body having a suspended hoolr attached to its lower surface and adapted to extend beyondthe rear end of thebody as the bait moves .tirough the water, the parts being so arranged that rearward and upward swin ing motion of the hook is limited by the engagement of its .shank with the body, and .an elongated flipper loosely connected to the upper. surface of the rear portion of the body andextending reamvardly beyond the same and adapted to vibrate laterally above androut of range of said .hoolr;

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

CHARLES Tl; ?FIJUEGER.

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